THE stars of Australian music and TV will combine on Saturday for one of the biggest fundraisers the nation has seen.
The Reach Out To Asia concert, to be broadcast nationally on all three commercial networks, will run simultaneously with a telethon from Melbourne's Telstra Dome. Ticket sales for the concert and all proceeds will go to the World Vision tsunami relief appeal.
TV stars from all three networks will man the phone room at Telstra Dome. And our best musical talent will take to the stage on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Acts confirmed for the 2 1/2 hour concert include Guy Sebastian, Missy Higgins, Killing Heidi and a supergroup comprising members of Jet, Spider Bait, The Living End and You Am I.
Country star Kasey Chambers will sing the emotional anthem True Colours and 1980s stars Noiseworks will reform for the night with lead singer Jon Stevens to sing Reach Out and Touch Someone.
Tickets to the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal fundraising game at the MCG next Monday will go on sale from Ticketmaster7 at midday today.
The 50-over day-night match will feature star players -- a World XI captained by Ricky Ponting pitted against an Asian team. Tickets start from $10 for children and $20 for adults. A booking fee will be charged but Ticketmaster7 will donate the fee to World Vision.
Celebs and media companies join tsunami relief effort
Celebrities and media companies are jumping on the tsunami relief effort. Sandra Bullock repeated her 9/11 contribution of $1 million while Leonardo DiCaprio is offering a "sizable" sum to UNICEF to to help out in Thailand, where he filmed The Beach. NBC and its sister channels are running a Jan. 15 fundraiser. Even Rupert Murdoch is finding a heart, writing a $1 million check, matching employee contributions and calling on his media companies to allot airtime for PSAs.
Coca-Cola forked over $10 million (and, along with Pepsi, is making its bottled water available for free) and American Express plopped down $1 million and an employee matching program. And all are promising not to repeat Altria's mistake of 2000, when the cigarette company (which promised $1 million for the tsunami victims) spent $100 million advertising its contributions to battered women and flood victim relief efforts - more than it actually donated.
And just like 9/11, commercial spots now deemed offensive are getting pulled, including surfer Laird Hamilton's spot for AmEx, which shows him riding huge waves. At least he's still got that Outside magazine cover.
American Idol reject William Hung, meanwhile, is donating a portion of album and poster sales to the effort - which might almost match the three-digit sum we offered.
Former Radio 1 DJ Mike Read has written a charity single which he intends to release in aid of the tsunami relief fund.
Cliff Richard and Boy George are among the artists to be featured on a recording of Reid's song Grief Never Grows Old, which he wrote before the disaster in Asia.
Others who have been approached to sing on the record include the Bee Gees brothers Robin and Barry Gibb, Ronan Keating, Chris Rea and the jazz newcomer Jamie Cullum.
Read's charity release follows the recent success of a new version of Do They Know Its Christmas? by Band Aid 20, which went to no 1, but the DJ acknowledges that his song is less "sing-along".
Read said that a charity release for his song was "a natural home for it because people kept saying to me, 'it's such a good song', but it's such a sad song." Before the boxing day tidal wave, Read said he had thought the song too gloomy to release.
Read approached the Disasters Emergency Committee with the idea of releasing a charity single. He said: "I was totally shocked at the enormity and suddenness of the disaster and in tears on seeing the orphaned children wandering aimlessly in search of their parents.
"Some of the newspaper photographs were just so harrowing."
Grief Never Grows Old is to be released "within a fortnight" and those involved hope it will raise around £2m for the tsunami appeal.
Mike Read's previous projects include the failed musical, Oscar Wilde, which closed the day after opening night.
Meanwhile, film stars Jackie Chan and Andy Leung are to feature on a Hong Kong version of the charity single We Are the World, which is also being released to help victims of the tsunami disaster.
Leonardo DiCaprio and David Beckham are to pay separate visits to the area left devastated by last month's Asian tsunami, in an effort to boost morale in the region. DiCaprio filmed his 2000 movie "The Beach" in Phuket, Thailand, which was hit hard by the catastrophic waves on December 26.
Soccer player Beckham is a superstar in Asia and is planning a trip there in a bid to attract the vital tourism trade back to the area. The Real Madrid ace is also a representative for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). His spokesman says, "We are open to all offers. He will help as much as he can. David has a UNICEF role and that's where his efforts will be."
schmiggens said this in post #4 : Stars join forces for tsunami relief
THE stars of Australian music and TV will combine on Saturday for one of the biggest fundraisers the nation has seen...The Reach Out To Asia concert
They're calling it "Australia Unites" and it's just been revealed that all three televeision networks involved are not actually donating any money to the World Vision, no money what-so-ever. I think that's disgusting.
The TV stations have been asked to donate all their advertising revenue for the three hours that the concert is being broadcast, estimated to be about $2.5 -3 million. And all of them have refused.
Compared the genoristy of the Australian people, this is honestly like a Scrooge situation. Other big businesses have contributed heaps of money, I think our three big TV networks can afford one Saturday night's worth of lost revenue in the face of such a disaster.
Stunning Angelina Jolie stole the show as she added some much-needed glamour at the UK premiere of Oliver Stone's £80m epic Alexander.But the caring beauty chose the event to talk about the tsunami disaster in south-east Asia - and vowed to visit the devastated area. Jolie wowed the crowds in a stunning Valentino fitted long black coat with white trim and black skirt.
The UN goodwill ambassador praised the UK's response to the tsunami disaster, but added: "We mustn't lose sight of all the other problems around the world. There are still wars and conflicts going on in Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur." And when asked if she planned to visit the countries hit by the earthquake, she said: "I'm hoping to go to Sri Lanka in the next two or three months, whenever I can."
Jolie plays the mother of Alexander, played by Colin Farrell in the movie, which has been panned by critics.
The actress has denied rumours that she and Farrell became lovers after working on the film - although when her Irish co-star was asked about his perfect woman, he said: "Angelina is pretty close, to be honest with you."
Farrell in particular has been mauled by the critics for his performance of Alexander, who is portrayed as homosexual. But director Oliver Stone defended Farrell, claiming he was "extraordinary".
schmiggens said this in post #4 : THE stars of Australian music and TV will combine on Saturday for ... The Reach Out To Asia concert,
It was an OK concert, one song, twenty minutes of "blah, blah, blah" one song, etc, but Australians managed to raise over $20 million (AUS) in one night.
We also have a charity cricket match on today as well to raise more money.
Clutching a packet of loo paper, Prince William showed that he was very much a hands-on royal as he and his brother Harry helped process relief supplies destined for the tsunami-ravaged Maldives at a Red Cross depot on Friday.
Having helped pack the supplies into boxes, the St Andrews student also got to test a skill he’s probably had little cause to call upon in the past – that of palette-shunting.
The Queen's elder grandson was snapped manoeuvring palettes piled high with sealed cartons of relief material in and out of the Bristol warehouse.
The brothers proved very much hands-on royals
Having helped pack the supplies into boxes, Wills gets to practise a skill he has presumably had little call for in the past - that of palette shunting
The St Andrews student proved himself a dab hand at manoeuvring the tons of supplies around
Charles' elder son was obviously relishing the opportunity to do his bit for the aid efforts
- Hello
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ricky Martin Heading To Thailand To Stop Child Traffickers
There is growing concern that children orphaned in the south Asian tsunami disaster are being sold as forced labor or even sex slaves. It is a dark part of the region's history, and something that has long been an issue for human rights advocates. For years, it's also caught the attention of Ricky Martin. The singer leaves for Thailand on Monday. CNN's Betty Nguyen had a chance to speak with Martin this weekend to talk to him about his works as a child advocate. Read on for a transcript.
- Pop Dirt
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MADONNA DONATES KABBALAH WATER
Superstar Madonna is donating 10,000 bottles of Kabbalah Water to the victims of the South Asian tsunami.
Madonna and fellow celebrity followers of the mystical offshoot of Judaism, including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, are raising money to ship the special, "spiritual" water to the areas hit by the December 26 tsunami.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center says, "The Kabbalah Center has begun raising tens of thousands of dollars to ship their water to south east Asia.
"Our goal is raising $1 million for this project."
Celebrity religions expert Rick Ross of the Web site Cult News scathes, "Wouldn't regular bottled tap water be just as effective and much cheaper? But then that couldn't afford a photo op with glitzy Kabbalah Center labeling, would it?"
ORGANISERS of this year's Brit awards are giving £500,000 to children hit by the tsunami disaster.
All the proceeds from this year's ceremony will go to charity, including a two-year project led by Save The Children.
John Craig, chairman of the Brit Trust, said: "The first £500,000 from this year's Brit awards will take education and music to those countries hit hardest by the killer wave."
Peter Jamieson, Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry, which runs the Brits, added: "This gives us a unique opportunity to make a real difference to children affected by the recent horrors."
Pop superstar Madonna has agreed to host a U.S. TV benefit show to raise money for the Red Cross' tsunami-relief efforts in South Asia. The Material Girl -- who has been criticized for donating 10,000 bottles of Kabbalah Water to areas hit by the December 26 tsunami -- will take part in NBC's Tsunami Relief Telethon on January 15.
She will be joined by singer Christina Aguilera, soul star Diana Ross, rockers Maroon 5 and actors including George Clooney, Kevin Spacey and Uma Thurman.
In other celebrity donation news, Green Day are to donate royalties from iTunes sales through the end of 2005 of their hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" to the Red Cross' tsunami relief efforts. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong says, "This is the worst global disaster we've seen in our lifetimes. We felt it was important to take part in the relief efforts any way we could."
And Country star Willie Nelson raised $75,000 during his charity show at the Austin Music Hall on Sunday. Performers at the concert included Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, the Joe Ely Band, Patty Griffin, Alejandro Escovedo, Ray Price and Spoon.
NEW YORK - Tenacious D will be joined by such rock heavyweights as Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Beck, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl and Queens Of The Stone Age principal Josh Homme at a Jan. 17 benefit in Los Angeles for the victims of the Asian tsunami.
The Wiltern Theatre event will also boast an appearance by actor Will Ferrell. Tickets are $60 and $100. The show is being organized via the new collective Music for Relief, with proceeds to benefit the American Red Cross.
Meanwhile, producers Quincy Jones and Jermaine Dupri have postponed the all-star recording of "We Are the Future," which was to take place on Feb. 14, the day after the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The event would have marked the 20th anniversary of the recording of the like-minded charity single "We Are the World."
"The timing is not right for us to record a song about the future when so many people have lost their lives," Dupri said. "We will proceed in a few months, but right now its about helping those who are dealing with the tsunami disaster and that should honestly be the focus."
LABOR MP Peter Garrett will reprise his role as Midnight Oil frontman for a one-off concert to raise funds for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, organisers said today.
Mr Garrett was elected as the Labor member for the Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith at the federal elections last October. The concert, to be called Wave Aid, will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 29 with 11 big Australian names headlining the event.
Artists involved include Midnight Oil, silverchair, Nick Cave, Powderfinger, The John Butler Trio, Kasey Chambers, The Waifs, The Finn Brothers, Missy Higgins, Pete Murray and The Wrights.
"The tsunami is a disaster of a proportion that is hard for us to comprehend in Australia," Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning said. This is a time to come forth and help on whatever level you can. Wave Aid is our opportunity to stand and be counted and we implore you to make sure you're by our side January 29th."
Tickets cost $58 plus a booking fee which Ticketek will donate to charity. With 30,000 tickets going on sale January 17, the money raised could amount to $1.74 million. Event organisers said all involved in putting on the concert including the talent, management, promotion and publicists were donating their time free of charge. The net proceeds from the event will be distributed to a group of charities including the Australian Red Cross, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, Unicef and CARE Australia.
01-03-2005 08:11 PM
